Beautiful Theory: Ecological Resilience Adaptive Cycle as Model and Metaphor

The paradox of sustainability is that it requires both change and stability. The theory of ecological resilience provides a framework for understanding how individuals, communities, organizations, and ecosystems cope in a changing world. Resilience is an area of research under rapid development with major policy implications for sustainable development. To effectively address problems of ecological resilience we must face complex interactions between different sets of changing variables. The question remains, “What underpins an ecologically resilient and sustainable way of life?” Buzz Holling defined the resilience of an ecosystem as the measure of its ability to absorb changes and still exist. Some ecologists argue that ecosystems are dynamic and evolve continuously. The model of the adaptive cycle was derived from the comparative study of the dynamics of ecosystems and describes a cycle of transformation and innovation for complex systems. It is meant to be a tool for thought and visualization.  As such, the adaptive cycle, developed to model and explain ecological resilience theory, holds promise as both a model and a metaphor for science and social transitions. This presentation examines the development of the adaptive cycle as a foundation of both ecological and human socio-economic systems, while acknowledging that ecological resilience theory in general, and the adaptive cycle specifically, can be useful metaphors for sustainability. We require ideas to match the size of our challenges. In addition to being energized about the adaptive cycle as a way to generate ideas for addressing the pressing issues that are facing us, I was, as an artist, enthralled with the aesthetic promise of this work.